"Brace n. an orthopedic appliance used to support, align, or hold a bodily part in the correct position."
Many doctors suggest bracing when the curvature is between 25 and 40 degrees and the patient is still growing. A patient is generally prescribed a back-brace, which is plastic and will be custom fitted. The usual recommendation is for it to be worn for 22/23 hours a day. Generally they are only removed for exercise (e.g. swimming), though sometimes (especially near the end of treatment) they may be reduced to night-wear only.
In the UK most specialists will use the Boston Brace and in the USA the Milwaukee Brace, although others are available, such as the Cheneau brace used alongside the Katharina Schroth method.
If bracing is successful it will prevent the curvature from progressing, and therefore could decrease the chance of needing further treatment. However under no circumstances will Boston or Milwaukee braces lessen the curve, although the Cheneau brace has been shown to improve curves two years after wearing.
Although many doctors have successfully maintained their patients' curves and will highly recommend it, others say that in a lot of cases bracing can be counter-productive. This is because the psychological damage can often out-way any benefits gained. Also the muscles in the back become weak and therefore, once conventional bracing ceases, the curvature could progress very quickly and would need severe treatment to curtail it. See Bracing Problems.
So my advice is, as always, do your research around the subject and decide for yourself. After all it is your body and you are the one who is going to live with the results for the rest of your life, so make yourself well informed about both sides of the story!!!
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